


Nani's Matar Paneer

by Farbautidottir



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cooking, Friendship, Gen, Hogwarts Kitchens, House Elves, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-05
Updated: 2020-07-05
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:13:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25089724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Farbautidottir/pseuds/Farbautidottir
Summary: In an attempt to cheer up Parvati after she learns her grandmother is ill, Lavender takes her friend to the kitchens for some sweets. But it's with the help of an unlikely house-elf that Parvati comes to feel better.Judge's Pick Winner for Round 7 of QLFC season 8.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 15





	Nani's Matar Paneer

**Author's Note:**

> This work was originally published on FFN for a competition with the prompt:  
> Cuisine - A lot can be spoken about one's culture by their food alone. The secret is often what spices and herbs are used in the making of these wonderful dishes, as well as how it is prepared. — Write about a character cooking or eating a culture-centric meal.

Parvati tore through her trunk, throwing aside extra robes and scarves until only her formal saree and some knickknacks her mother forced her to bring to Hogwarts remained. She knelt down to comb through these, coming up empty, and let out a roar that could tame a tiger, screaming, "Where is it?!"

"What's wrong?" Lavender cried, rushing towards her. She tossed Ron's jumper onto her bed as she made her way to her best friend.

"Nothing!" Parvati said defiantly, spinning to face Lavender. Her tear-stained features softened and she slumped to the floor with relief. "Oh, sorry, Lav! I thought you might be Hermione."

"Never mind that, what's happened?" Lavender asked with concern.

Parvati wiped her face as Lavender sat beside her on the floor of the girls' dormitory in Gryffindor Tower. "I can't find my mala."

"Your what?"

"My mala. It's like a string of beads used for mantras. I need it and I can't find it anywhere!" Parvati exclaimed, starting to chew on her thumbnail.

Lavender pulled her friend's hand away from her mouth so she wouldn't ruin her freshly manicured nail.

"I'll help you look. When did you last see it?" she asked Parvati.

"When I packed for school. I don't ever use it." Parvati scoffed.

"Okay, so it should be in your trunk, right?"

"But it's not!" Parvati exclaimed, tears threatening to spill again from her eyes.

"Okay, okay, so, let's just breathe for a second," Lavender said and then paused to take a deep breath herself as a model. Parvati mimicked her and they released their breaths at the same time. "All right, I feel calmer now, don't you?"

Parvati nodded and gave a shadow of a smile.

"So, why do you need your mala now?" Lavender asked.

"My grandmother has fallen very ill and I wanted to pray for her," Parvati said, then burst into tears abruptly.

"Oh, Parvati, I'm so sorry!" Lavender threw her arms around her friend, pulling her into a tight embrace.

Parvati let her tears spill out, not worrying about anything else in the safety of her friend's arms. Everything was wrong, but at least she had Lavender to lean on.

"I have an idea," Lavender said once Parvati's sobs died down to sniffles. "Let's get some sweets from the kitchens. Ron showed me how to get there last week, and I'm sure the house-elves will be accommodating. There's still plenty of time before curfew."

Parvati dried her face and nodded. "Okay, that sounds nice."

"Great!" Lavender smiled brightly, offering a hand to Parvati to help her up.

On the way to the kitchens, Parvati explained further what had happened. An owl from her mother had arrived that morning with a letter to both her and Padma explaining that their grandmother had fallen so ill they had to take her to St. Mungo's.

"But she forbade us from visiting because…" Parvati threw a furtive glance around before continuing in a whisper, "You-Know-Who and his followers make it too unsafe to travel."

Lavender nodded understandingly. These days it always felt like the other shoe was about to drop at any moment. Hogwarts was the only safe place left, it seemed.

"I was upset, of course, but you should have seen Padma. She was livid. She said it's my fault we can't go to visit Nani," Parvati explained, wiping a tear as they descended the stairs towards where the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room was located.

"Why would she say that?! What a horrible thing to say!"

"She said it's because I'm too associated with Harry Potter. You know, since I went with him to the Yule Ball," Parvati said cautiously. Lavender was an extremely jealous person, and Padma had gone as Ron's date alongside her and Harry.

"But she went with you guys as Ron's date…as a favor to Harry!" Lavender protested.

"Right, exactly, it's all very hypocritical. Not to mention we both joined the D.A.," Parvati said, relieved Lavender understood the Yule Ball date had been at Harry's behest, not Padma's interest in Ron.

"Well, that's not fair of her at all! It's not _your_ fault that you _both_ are acquainted with Harry. Plus, it's not even about Harry, is it? It's about You-Know-Who. It's obvious your parents don't want you to travel solely because of their concern for your safety," Lavender assured her.

"My father didn't even want us to attend this year because of You-Know-Who."

"Exactly! That further proves my point that Padma's claims are unfounded."

"I wish it felt that way. She was so mean." Parvati sighed.

"Well, she needs to get over herself," Lavender muttered and stopped abruptly. "Oh, I passed the entrance."

She retraced her steps and Parvati followed until they were in front of a painting of a large fruit bowl. Lavender bent to tickle the green pear in the painting. It squirmed and giggled then transformed into a green door handle before them. Lavender grasped it and opened the door to the kitchens.

"Oh, this is wonderful!" Parvati exclaimed, never having been down there before.

The kitchens were one massive, high-ceilinged room, full of glistening brass pots and pans suspended above long tables with prep sinks interspersed between them. At the far end was a giant brick fireplace. A dozen or so house-elves busied themselves scrubbing the space until it shined. All of them paused mid-polish to look up at the newcomers with their wide, orblike eyes.

"Hello!" Lavender called cheerily.

"Miss Lavender, how nice to see you again!" Dobby cried, hurrying towards her from the back of the room. He wore several knitted hats stacked on his head and mismatched socks on his feet. "Dobby sees that you have not come with the great Harry Potter's Wheezy this time?"

"No, not this time, Dobby. I brought my friend, Parvati, who is very sad because her grandmother is ill. I thought a visit to the kitchens could help cheer her up…" Lavender let the final thought trail off to allow Dobby to come up with the solution himself. Ron had assured her he was much keener to solve problems than to be told what to do.

"Oh, but Dobby is so sorry to hear this, Miss Parvati. It is very sad news indeed," Dobby offered.

"Thank you," Parvati managed, sniffling again.

"Some hot chocolate and a slice of cake are in order!" Dobby exclaimed. "Follow me, please."

Lavender flashed Parvati a grin and hooked an arm through her elbow as they followed Dobby towards the back of the kitchens.

He ushered them into two comfy armchairs near the fireplace, which only glowed embers now, dinner having been done for hours, then disappeared into a darkened archway. Several house-elves came up to them while Dobby was gone, most of them patting Parvati sadly on the hand and offering consoling words.

Dobby returned not even five minutes later carrying a tray of chocolate cake and two steaming mugs of hot cocoa. He served the girls and sat before them on a wooden stool, his back to the fire.

"Chocolate is the best cure for sadness," he explained.

"It's true," another house-elf squeaked. "Professor Lupin used to come in all the time to ask for more chocolate three years ago. He always said so."

"Professor Lupin is very wise." Dobby nodded.

Parvati and Lavender tucked into their cake slices. The chocolate was overwhelmingly rich, and Parvati found herself craving something more savory and spicier. Her nani's matar paneer.

"Oh, what devilishly good cake!" Lavender praised.

"And how does Miss Parvati like it?" Dobby asked.

"It's nice," Parvati said gently.

Dobby's ears drooped. "Miss Parvati does not like the cake?"

"It's very nice. Only, I think I want something less sweet. My grandmother always made matar paneer whenever I had a bad day. I wish I could have some right now." Parvati gave a wistful sigh.

"Dobby does not know this dish, but perhaps another house-elf does?" He looked around hopefully.

A squeaky chorus of regretful negations followed.

"Perhaps you know the recipe?" Lavender suggested to her friend.

"I don't know. I remember parts of it. I'm sure it won't be the same," Parvati said. The firelight reflected in her eyes' tearful pools. "I wish I hadn't lost my mala."

A sense of sadness settled over the room. Then, emerging from the darkened archway with a hiccup, a disheveled looking house-elf said in a voice squeakier than the others, "Winky knows how to make matar paneer. Winky's mistress loved this meal. She used to request it all the time before…before she died."

Winky burst into tears. While Dobby hurried to console her with a gentle pat on the back, the other house-elves looked away, embarrassed.

"You know how to make matar paneer?" Parvati asked, perking up in her armchair.

Winky wiped her face with the filthy sleeve of her soup-stained blouse and nodded.

"Will you make it for me now? I can help, if that's all right? I'd like to help."

Winky's entire physique brightened. "Winky would be delighted to make matar paneer with Miss Parvati!"

The other house-elves murmured in hushed tones amongst themselves, unsure what to think of this idea. Winky rarely did anything beyond wallowing in butterbeer.

Lavender jumped up and said, "I can help! You can teach me what to do. I've never even heard of matar paneer before. Is it some kind of curry?"

"Curry is not Indian," Winky squeaked plainly.

"It's not?" Lavender gaped, her wide eyes flickering between Winky and Parvati.

"No, it's not. Curry is a name the British gave many Indian dishes, not realizing each has its own name," Parvati explained. "But if you went to a Muggle restaurant here, you would certainly find matar paneer listed in the curries. So, I suppose, from the perspective that we are preparing it in Britain, you could call it a curry."

"Wow," was all Lavender could think to say.

"Perhaps," Dobby began, stepping on top of his stool. "Winky and Miss Parvati can teach us all to make matar paneer, and we can prepare it for tomorrow night's dinner?"

An assent came from the house-elves and Winky's tiny stature inflated with joy. Parvati also swelled with happiness thinking how Padma would love having matar paneer for dinner.

"Come, Miss Parvati, let's begin," Winky said, then looked at a couple of house-elves. "You two, fetch us an onion, a garlic bulb, ginger root, three tomatoes, and lots of green peas."

Winky tied a house-elf sized apron around her neck and pulled another two off the hook. "Dobby knows how to enlarge them for Miss Parvati and Miss Lavender."

Dobby took the aprons, performed special magic Parvati and Lavender did not know, and handed each girl a now enlarged apron. They hurriedly secured them in place as the other two house-elves returned with their arms full of ingredients.

Winky set to work peeling the onion, garlic and ginger and Parvati began to slice the tomatoes. A house-elf set a bowl in front of her to slide them into, and Winky quickly sliced and chopped her vegetables to include.

"Ghee!" Winky demanded. Lavender had to duck out of the way as yet another house-elf floated a jar of ghee towards Winky.

"Can I help?" Lavender asked.

"Winky must add this ghee, then Miss Lavender can assist in grounding the tomato paste."

As Winky explained to Lavender how to ground the mixture into a paste, a task Parvati was certain her prissy friend was not up for, the house-elf who delivered the ghee politely offered to do it instead. It was preferable for all parties, especially when the house-elf completed the task in mere minutes by using magic. It was becoming exceptionally clear to the girls how the house-elves managed to produce three meals per day for hundreds of people while also maintaining a clean and fire-lit castle.

Winky began to gather the spices, all so familiar to Parvati. She couldn't believe the castle's kitchens had fenugreek, but there it was being crushed at Winky's instruction. As she surveyed the spices, she noticed one missing.

"Nani always used a stick of cinnamon," she said.

Winky's bat-like ears perked up. "Yes, that's right! Winky knew she forgot something. Thank you, Miss Parvati, you're so smart!"

Parvati beamed. It was rare anyone besides Lavender called her smart, especially with Padma for a sister.

"Was your mistress from India?" she asked as Winky lit a fire to heat more ghee in a pan. Everyone looked on with interest. It seemed no one knew much about Winky's former mistress.

"Yes, Mistress Crouch's family came from India to England when she was very young. She met Master Crouch at Hogwarts. They were wonderful."

Winky looked like she might begin to cry again, so Lavender jumped in to say, "They sound like lovely people."

"Oh yes! Only, Winky was dismissed and they're all dead." Now Winky did begin to cry.

Parvati rubbed her back and took over adding the spices to the melted ghee. A familiar fragrant mixture filled the air and she let out a happy sigh.

"My nani always says the scent of the meal speaks to its flavor more than its taste. It's like she's here now with us. I'm sure Mrs. Crouch's spirit is here, too. Can you feel her?"

Winky blinked some tears away, looking up at Parvati, who smiled down at her, tears brimming in her own eyes.

"Miss Parvati is the nicest person Winky has met at Hogwarts," Winky whispered.

Parvati warmed fully and the two continued to prepare the dish in comfortable silence. The only interruption to their flow was when Winky asked Dobby to prepare some basmati rice and naan.

A couple minutes after they added the peas and covered the pan, Parvati asked with alarm, "Wait, do we have paneer?"

Winky's face turned a deep red and she looked at her feet. "Winky may keep paneer as a snack. Winky loves paneer."

Parvati laughed happily. "I can't blame you! It's so good."

Winky smiled sheepishly up at her. "Winky will go get some now."

Once she was gone, Lavender said, "I can't wait to try this!"

"It's the best dish. You'll love it," Parvati assured her. "Thank you for bringing me down here. It's really helped."

Lavender reached across the table to squeeze her hand. "Of course."

"Though we might be out past curfew." Parvati frowned.

"Ron's a prefect. We'll be fine." Lavender smirked. Parvati rolled her eyes, but a playful smile grew on her lips as well.

Winky returned then with the paneer and began to cube it. She added it to the pan to simmer for ten minutes and directed Parvati and Lavender back to the armchairs.

"Winky will bring it over when it's done. Thank you for your help," she said, then disappeared behind the darkened archway.

The girls sat while a flurry of activity happened around them. House-elves brought over small tables for them to eat on. Dobby dished up the rice and plated the naan for them. Different house-elves brought them glasses of water, napkins, and cutlery.

Finally, Winky returned, something bulky hidden in the pocket of her skirt. She went straight to where the matar paneer simmered fragrantly, and everyone could hear her say, "Just perfect."

She appeared before Parvati and Lavender with two silver bowls of the simmering sabzi.

"This looks delicious!" Lavender said, though she seemed to be eyeing Parvati's unfinished piece of cake.

Parvati took a long whiff of the matar paneer, her eyes lighting up. "Oh, Winky, it's exactly right. Thank you!"

Winky blossomed, throwing a proud look towards Dobby who smiled heartily in return.

Parvati tore some naan to scoop the matar paneer and savored the medley of flavors. It truly was perfect.

"This is exactly like Nani's!" she exclaimed to Winky, who swelled up further in contentment.

"Miss Parvati is too nice," Winky said, shuffling her feet. She reached into her skirt pocket. "Winky has something for Miss Parvati."

Parvati couldn't imagine what could be better than the matar paneer, but Winky produced a mala from her pocket.

"Winky heard Miss Parvati say she lost her mala, so Winky is wanting to give you hers."

"Oh, Winky, this is too much," Parvati breathed.

"It was my mistress's and has all 108 beads. Winky kept it very safe. Miss Parvati should have it. Miss Parvati needs it to pray for her nani," Winky said, her voice soft, less squeaky than usual.

Parvati took the beads from her, placing them in her lap. She bent down to kiss Winky on the cheek.

"Thank you, Winky. You are the nicest house-elf I've ever met," she said softly.


End file.
